Spotify expected to boot up in U.S.

Spotify, the Swedish music streaming service that is popular in Europe, is finally launching in the United States.

A news release Wednesday says the service will become available to U.S. users by invitation and subscription on Thursday morning.

The service allows users to select specific tracks and albums for playback on computers and mobile devices. Users in Europe are allowed to listen for free for a while before being asked to pay for a subscription.

The service is one of many new ways companies are innovating to deliver music digitally. Recording companies have licensed songs to an array of new businesses to try to reverse a decade-long slide in music sales caused by piracy and falling CD sales.